Identifying Cables for Networking
Anyone who is new to computing will no doubt be baffled by the number of cables lying around, stretching from one box to another. Wireless networking might have taken off in a big way around businesses and homes, but there is always a good reason to maintain a physical connection, not least to connect a wireless hub to the main data cable.
The problem really comes with working out which cables are which. Many different cables are used for networking, from the common Ethernet cables to USB and DSL. While the purpose of these cables is often very similar, they all have different connectors, which can of course lead to some difficulty and confusion.
Fortunately, however, identifying what cable is for which purpose is easy, once you know what to look for. After gaining even the most basic familiarity with such cables you should soon find that working out what connects to which box becomes so much easier.
Cat5 Cables
These are quite chunky with a squared plastic connector and lightweight catch. Usually the connector is translucent but it can also match the color of the cable shielding. If you have a translucent cable you will notice that here are 8 wires within, green/white, green, blue/white, blue, amber/white, amber, brown/white and brown, and these must be correctly arranged at both connectors for the cable to work correctly.
A Cat5 cable is typically found running between a computer and a router, or between a data link and a router. A secondary type of Cat5 cable (a cross-over cable, which is wired slightly differently) can also be used for connecting two different computers into a small local network.
USB Cables
You will probably be aware of the USB connector type, a narrow oblong interface with a metal shield and a small plastic section within. Pretty much any device you purchase for a computer these days has a USB connector, and this includes mice, keyboards, external storage devices, game controllers, microphones, webcams and many more.
Naturally, there cable modems and routers that also require a USB connector, although these are becoming increasingly rare as more and more users opt for wireless equipment.
DSL Cables
For home Internet systems that rely on the DSL data system a cable designed to connect a DSL gateway to a main telephone port, by way of a microfilter device, is required.
DSL cables look quite similar to the standard telephone cables used to connect handsets to base units, but they are designed to carry quite a different type of data, that of 1s and 0s rather than standard voice.
It’s also easy to mistake a DSL cable for a Cat5 Ethernet cable, but note that they are quite different; the DSL cable connector is just 7mm wide as opposed to the Cat5’s 11mm.
Coaxial Cables
Finally, you might find that a coaxial cable is also involved in your network setup in some way. These are usually found connecting a cable modem to an external data source (such as the hub provided by your cable company) and are made from a copper thick core, protected by a plastic insulator, woven copper shield and a heavy PVC sheath.
With a round, threaded connector that requires careful attachment to hardware, coaxial cables are used for heavy-duty data transmission. Larger, bulkier versions of similar cables where used for submarine communications during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
